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The Iron Knights
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Jedi Academy Training Manual The Iron Knights is a highly unusual Force Tradition comprised solely of a race of silicon-based creatures called Shards. The Shards are both sentient and Force-sensitive. The Iron Knights are Shards that have placed themselves inside of Droid bodies, allowing them to interact with their surroundings much like other sentients would. The Iron Knights use the combination of The Force and their Droid bodies to pursue their agendas, which are very much in line with The Jedi. Despite persecution and the occasional misunderstanding, The Iron Knights prove to be stalwart and loyal defenders of peace and justice. Members of The Iron Knights Force Tradition can select Talents from the Iron Knight Talent Tree. Membership Only Shards can become Iron Knights. History In order to talk about The Iron Knights, one must discuss the Shards. Native to the planet of Orax, Shards appear as small, immobile clusters of multifaceted crystals. Shards pulse with faint internal light, giving hints of their sentience. These individual Shard clusters bunch together into large colonies, which communicate through a band of electromagnetic energy. A Shard can live for thousands of years in this environment. Humans colonizing the planet eventually realize that the Shards are sentient and communicate with them using devices that translate their electromagnetic pulses into speech. Some Shards volunteer to be implanted inside Droids, enabling them to leave their colonies and explore the rest of the galaxy. The Shards use their newfound mobility to meet with representatives of the Galactic Republic, sending their Droid-bodied ambassadors to establish relations with other cultures and Species. For unknown reasons, some Shards are Force-sensitive, a fact discovered by Jedi Master Aqinos. During the Arkanian Revolution, Master Aqinos takes many Shards as Padawans, teaching them about The Living Force. Calling themselves The Iron Knights, several of their number join in that conflict and help win the day. The Jedi Council excommunicates Aqinos for sharing knowledge of The Living Force with the Shards, and he goes into exile, taking several of the Shard Jedi along. This decision saves The Iron Knights from extinction. When the Great Jedi Purge happens, most of the Shards on Orax are destroyed and the planet is heavily mined. Droids are banned from the surface of Orax, and few Shards manage to escape. Now refugees and fugitives, the majority of The Iron Knights go into hiding on the planet Dweem. The Iron Knights lay low for decades, until they are rediscovered by a band of students from the New Jedi Order. Realizing their potential, the Order accepts The Iron Knights into its ranks. During the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, The Iron Knights prove an instrumental part of the New Jedi Order's defenses, although the Yuuzhan Vong's hatred of technology makes The Iron Knights favorite targets for destruction. Numerous Iron Knights serve with honor and distinction during the conflict. Location Iron Knights are most commonly encountered in two different eras. The first is around the time of the Arkanian Revolution, roughly 50 years before the Battle of Yavin. At this time, The Iron Knights are new to the galaxy at large and just beginning to learn the ways of The Force. What they lacked in experience, they made up for in enthusiasm. The Iron Knights rise to prominence again during the time of the New Jedi Order, after surviving the Great Jedi Purge by hiding in their Droid bodies and using their mechanical shells to conceal their covert anti-Empire activities. By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, The Iron Knights are entrenched elements within the New Jedi Order. Philosophy Shards are deeply contemplative and curious creatures. Their unusual method of communication is ponderously slow, meaning that discussions can take days to play out and decisions up to years. The Iron Knights are different- their connection to their Droid hosts allow them to interact with the galaxy in much the same way as other sentients. They are fascinated with both the speed and short lives of other creatures. They find the galaxy a dynamic, vibrant place and go to great lengths to protect others from harm or to stop injustice when encountered. Despite their zeal, The Iron Knights are as likely to succumb to the Dark Side as any Force-user. Iron Knights take such transgressions very seriously and spend much of their downtime in deep contemplation of the very nature of The Force to recognize and ward off the Dark Side's temptations. The Iron Knights are Jedi and train with Lightsabers. However, they are quite capable of defeating enemies using the Weapons built into their Droid bodies. The Iron Knights prefer Droid bodies that are built for battle, such as the Juggernaut War Droid or the FLTCH-Series Droid. Iron Knights are considered part of The Jedi Force Tradition for the purposes of qualifying for the Jedi Knight and Jedi Master Prestige Classes. Building an Iron Knight Building an Iron Knight is much like building a Jedi. Sine only Shards can become Iron Knights, all you really need to worry about are which Talents, Feats, and Force Powers to take. Since Iron Knights are likely to be warding into the thick of combat, one of your best choices is the Force Repair Talent. Similarly, your hero should consider Talents and Feats that bolster your Hit Points, ability to catch a Second Wind, and so forth. Likewise, defensive Talents such as Block and Deflect can keep you from relying as much on healing. Otherwise, build your Iron Knight just as you would any other Jedi- after all, The Iron Knights consider themselves to be Jedi, and so should your hero. Category:Affiliations